Minister Tours NEDC Projects in Borno, Reaffirms FG’s North-East Infrastructure Push

By Halima Abatcha

The Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Maigari Ahmadu, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to accelerating infrastructure development across the North-East.

The Minister gave the assurance during a two-day working visit to Borno State to inspect ongoing infrastructure projects being executed by the North-East Development Commission, NEDC.

The Minister’s inspection covered the 250-capacity bed hostel with kitchen, laundry and dining hall facilities at the Mohamet Lawan College of Agriculture, Maiduguri, as well as the Moro Moro and Fori Bridges, all being constructed by the North-East Development Commission.

At the College of Agriculture, the Minister, accompanied by the Managing Director of NEDC, Dr. Mohammed Goni Alkali, and senior management staff of the Commission, was received by the Provost of the institution, Professor Abba Makinta, alongside the supervising engineer.

The delegation was briefed on the level of work and the progress recorded so far.

The Minister commended the pace of construction and stressed the need for the project to be delivered according to approved specifications and within the required timeframe.

“Mr. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deeply committed to the development and stabilisation of the North-East. The NEDC is one of the key instruments through which this commitment is being translated into concrete infrastructure interventions” Maigari said.

The Managing Director of NEDC, Dr. Mohammed Goni Alkali, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to providing quality infrastructure that addresses the needs of communities across the North-East.

The Minister and his entourage later inspected the Moro Moro Bridge, which was destroyed by the September 2024 Maiduguri flood and is now being reconstructed by NEDC as part of its intervention projects.

Briefing the Minister, the Supervising Engineer, Kori Shettima, gave a technical overview of the project, explaining that the bridge has a total length of approximately 120 metres.

Engr. Kori explained that the bridge is a vital infrastructure serving communities in Borno State and traders from neighbouring countries, as its reconstruction will ease the transportation of goods and improve access to the Gamboru International Market.

The Chairman of Moro Moro Market, Alhaji Modu Maiduguri, while commending NEDC for restoring the vital link, disclosed that the collapse of the bridge had negatively affected commercial activities in the area.

At the Galtimari-Fori ongoing construction Bridge, also affected by the September 2024 flood, Engr. Kori Shettima explained to the delegation that the 9 Span and 180 meters bridge is 80 per cent complete, with major structural works already completed and final works ongoing.

The Minister expressed satisfaction with the quality of work and commended the NEDC, the contractors and supervising engineers for the progress recorded, stressing the importance of delivering the projects in line with approved specifications and engineering standards.

He said the interventions are consistent with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to addressing the infrastructure deficit and promoting development across the North-East, assuring that the Ministry of Regional Development will continue to support NEDC in delivering its mandate and completing ongoing projects across the region.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has Borno at heart and is committed to the development of the North-East. We are here to ensure that this commitment translates into quality infrastructure, and the Ministry will continue to support NEDC in delivering these projects for the benefit of the people,” Uba said.

Speaking on the interventions, the Managing Director of NEDC, Dr. Mohammed Goni Alkali, said the Commission remains committed to completing its ongoing projects across Borno State and other parts of the North-East.

“Our commitment is to ensure that these projects are completed to specification and delivered for the benefit of the people. NEDC is implementing similar interventions across the North-East, and we will continue to work with reliable contractors and consultants to achieve timely and quality delivery.”

The Minister’s two-day visit formed part of the Ministry’s oversight responsibilities over projects being implemented by the North-East Development Commission, with a focus on ensuring compliance with approved specifications, quality standards and project timelines.

Minister Tours NEDC Projects in Borno, Reaffirms FG’s North-East Infrastructure Push

Fleeing N39bn Cocaine Cartel Kingpin Nabbed At Lagos Airport — NDLEA

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested the alleged Nigerian arrowhead of an international cocaine trafficking cartel at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, as he attempted to flee the country, following the seizure of 184.5 kilogrammes of cocaine worth an estimated N39 billion.

The NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd.), disclosed this in Lagos on Tuesday while briefing journalists on what he described as one of the agency’s most significant narcotics investigations in recent times.

Marwa said the suspect, Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as “KC Luxury,” was arrested at the airport’s boarding gate on the night of August 13, 2026, following intelligence that he planned to escape Nigeria on a business-class flight to Paris.

According to him, the suspect, who presented himself publicly as a luxury goods dealer, businessman and social media influencer, allegedly operated as the Nigerian coordinator of a transnational cocaine trafficking network with links stretching from South America through Nigeria to the United Kingdom, other parts of Europe and Asia.

“He did not walk into our custody voluntarily,” Marwa said, explaining that NDLEA operatives moved in after receiving credible intelligence about his planned departure.

At the point of arrest, the suspect was allegedly found with €7,750, £2,800 and N100,000 in cash, as well as expensive jewellery believed to be connected to the proceeds of his illicit activities.

A subsequent search of his luxury apartment on Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, also led to the recovery of exotic vehicles, the NDLEA chief said.

The investigation followed the interception of a consignment containing 184.5kg of cocaine concealed for onward export through a courier logistics company in Lagos.

Marwa said the scale of the seizure prompted him to establish a Special Investigation Team to trace the entire network behind the shipment, including the couriers, intermediaries, financial facilitators and masterminds.

The investigation led to the arrest of Lawal Kehinde, a staff member of the logistics company through which the cocaine consignment was processed.

According to the NDLEA, Kehinde maintained a sustained relationship with the cartel’s Nigerian coordinator and allegedly packaged and processed consignments for the syndicate before routing them to the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia in exchange for cash payments.

The agency said investigations further revealed that the cartel used intermediary companies and false identities to conceal the true consignors of its shipments and relied on financial facilitators to move billions of naira on its behalf.

Marwa said some members of the same syndicate had also been arrested in the United Kingdom, describing the near-simultaneous arrests in Nigeria and Britain as evidence of effective international cooperation in tackling transnational drug trafficking.

He said the cartel had hoped to realise as much as N39 billion from the distribution of the seized cocaine through its international network.

The operation, according to the NDLEA, also highlights a changing pattern in the activities of international drug trafficking organisations, which are increasingly moving away from traditional routes such as seaports and airports to courier and logistics companies.

Marwa said traffickers appeared to have assumed that courier companies offered less scrutiny, but the successful investigation demonstrated the agency’s ability to penetrate such channels.

“There is no alternative route into or out of Nigeria for illicit drugs that this Agency cannot police,” he said.

The NDLEA chairman linked the operation to a series of recent investigations targeting transnational drug networks, including the dismantling of the Switzerland-based Simon Amadi cartel, which allegedly laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds through dark-web marketplaces, as well as the disruption of two Nigerian-Mexican methamphetamine syndicates operating clandestine laboratories in forests in Ogun and Oyo states.

He said the latest operation demonstrated that traffickers could no longer rely on wealth, luxury lifestyles, international connections or social media influence to evade law enforcement.

“To those who believe they can hide behind luxury brands, glamorous lifestyles, and social media personas while trafficking poison into our communities and across our borders, this Agency will find you,” Marwa said.

“It does not matter how well-connected, how wealthy, or how far you attempt to run. As this case demonstrates, we will track you to the departure gate if we must.”

He commended the international partners involved in the investigation and the Special Investigation Team, coordinated by the Director of Operations and General Investigation, for what he described as their diligence and professionalism.

Marwa assured Nigerians that the agency would continue to disrupt international drug trafficking networks and prevent the country from being used as a transit corridor for narcotics destined for other parts of the world.

He said the NDLEA would also intensify efforts to protect Nigerian communities and young people from the devastating consequences of illicit drugs.

The agency’s latest operation comes amid heightened efforts to dismantle transnational narcotics networks exploiting Nigeria’s extensive commercial, aviation and logistics infrastructure to move drugs across international borders.

Fleeing N39bn Cocaine Cartel Kingpin Nabbed At Lagos Airport — NDLEA

NDLEA Destroys N301bn Drugs, Vows to Cripple Cartels’ Financial Networks

By: Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has destroyed 329,865.585 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs worth an estimated N301.058 billion, sending a fresh warning to drug barons, traffickers and financiers that the agency will not only seize their consignments but pursue the financial networks sustaining their operations.

The court-ordered destruction, conducted in Lagos on Monday, involved illicit drugs seized in concluded and uncontested cases as well as abandoned consignments.

The exercise, carried out at Navy Town, Ojo, followed orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division.

Of the total quantity destroyed, 246,864.535 kilogrammes was seized by the Lagos Strategic Command between April 2025 and May 2026, while another 83,001.05 kilogrammes came from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Tincan and Apapa Strategic Commands, the Marine Command and a Special Operations Unit operating in Lagos.

The substances destroyed included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, cannabis varieties such as Canadian Loud and skunk, ephedrine, tramadol, codeine syrup and other opioids, as well as khat leaves.

Speaking at the ceremony, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd.), described the destruction as a demonstration of Nigeria’s determination to protect its citizens while depriving criminal networks of the resources needed to sustain their activities.

Marwa warned that the agency’s campaign would go beyond the seizure and destruction of drugs to targeting the people and financial structures behind the illicit trade.

“Wherever you hide, whoever sponsors you and however sophisticated your network may be, the long arm of the law will reach you,” he declared, vowing that the NDLEA would remain “resolute, relentless and uncompromising” in dismantling criminal networks and their financial backbone.

According to him, every kilogramme of narcotics taken off the streets represents more than the destruction of contraband, as drug abuse fuels addiction, crime, impaired driving, family breakdown and social dislocation.

He further warned that the illicit drug economy carries wider economic consequences, weakening the labour force, increasing healthcare costs, discouraging investment and diverting public resources that could otherwise be channelled into education, healthcare and infrastructure.

Marwa also linked drug trafficking to Nigeria’s wider security challenges, noting that proceeds from the illicit trade can finance organised crime, terrorism and violent extremism.

He said the destruction therefore represented not only a public-health intervention but also an important contribution to Nigeria’s national security.

The NDLEA chairman commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for supporting the agency’s mandate and acknowledged the contributions of the judiciary, Lagos State Government, military, sister security agencies, international partners, civil society organisations, traditional institutions, the media and members of the public.

He also paid tribute to NDLEA officers serving across the country, particularly those operating in Lagos, for the risks and sacrifices involved in combating the illicit drug trade.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the destruction of nearly 330 tonnes of narcotics and psychotropic substances as a “huge and sobering reminder” of the scale of the drug threat confronting Nigerian communities, particularly young people.

The governor, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said the exercise also demonstrated what could be achieved when law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and government institutions worked together.

He assured that Lagos State would remain committed to combating drug abuse and trafficking.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the NDLEA deserved commendation for its sustained campaign against illicit drugs.

Adeniyi said the volume destroyed was significant not only because of its monetary value but because the seizures represented operations conducted across Nigeria’s airports, seaports and land borders.

He warned drug dealers that they were no longer welcome in Nigeria.

The Customs chief drew a direct connection between the illicit drug economy and violent non-state actors, saying proceeds from drugs provide what he described as the “oxygen” sustaining criminal activities.

He specifically mentioned banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency and terrorism.

According to him, destroying the consignments would simultaneously deprive drug traffickers of investments worth billions of naira and deny violent groups access to resources that could support their operations.

He commended Marwa and NDLEA officers responsible for the seizures.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, represented by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Abdullahi Mustapha, also assured the agency of the Nigerian Navy’s continued support for the country’s drug-control efforts.

The latest destruction underscores the growing emphasis of Nigeria’s drug-control strategy on inter-agency cooperation, disruption of supply chains and the seizure of criminal proceeds, as the government intensifies its campaign against illicit drugs and the organised networks behind them.

For the NDLEA, however, the message from Lagos was unequivocal: seizing the drugs is only part of the battle; dismantling the cartels and cutting off their money remains the bigger target.

NDLEA Destroys N301bn Drugs, Vows to Cripple Cartels’ Financial Networks